Page 96 of Mortify

The Patriot gasps, shudders.

"For Flora," Rio whispers. "For Bjorn, for all of them."

The light fades from those fanatic eyes.

The boogeyman who's haunted us for years dies with a whimper, not a bang.

"Burn it all," Runes orders. "Every brick, every board. Nothing left but ash."

We work quickly, dousing everything in gasoline.

The drugs, the building, the bodies.

All of it has to go.

Brothers haul out gas cans, find kerosene, some even find lighter fluid, soaking every surface.

The chemical smell burns my nose, mixing with blood.

"Five minutes," Fenrir calls out. "Everybody out in five."

As we're setting the final charges, my phone vibrates.

I almost ignore it—we're on a run, no distractions.

But something makes me check.

Vail's name on the screen.

My blood goes cold before I even answer, and something tells me this isn’t a good call.

"What's wrong?"

"Regnor..." Her voice is carefully controlled, professional EMT mode. "You need to come to the hospital."

"What happened?" But I already know. Can feel it in my bones.

"It's Everly. She's... she's bleeding. A lot. We're at County General."

The phone slips in my suddenly numb fingers.

"The baby?"

"Still there for now. But Regnor, it's serious. She needs you. She didn’t want me to call since you guys are out on a run, but I know Vanir would want to know if it was me."

"On my way."

I'm moving before I disconnect, everything else forgotten.

The Patriot's dead.

The warehouse is rigged.

Mission fucking accomplished, for now.

None of it matters.

"What's wrong?" Fenrir asks, noting my face.

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